Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
‘No concern’ over China tourists at start of pandemic
Busload of Wuhan visitors ‘given advice’ Idea threat not here ‘very clearly dispelled’
THE idea Covid presented no threat outside of China was “very clearly dispelled” when a busload of tourists from Wuhan visited Antrim in January 2020.
The Covid-19 Inquiry sitting in Belfast heard evidence yesterday that an official attended the asymptomatic tourists to give health advice.
But that Northern Ireland’s chief medical officer Sir Michael Mcbride was “unconcerned” about the visit.
A senior civil servant also said Northern Ireland entered the pandemic with a “very tired” health workforce.
Richard Pengelly, who was permanent secretary at Stormont’s Department of Health during the pandemic, gave evidence to the inquiry.
It is investigating the initial pandemic response, central government decision-making and political and civil service performance.
Lead counsel for the inquiry Clair Dobbin KC referred Mr Pengelly to an internal civil service message sent on January 25, 2020, a week before any Covid cases had been recorded in the UK, and a month before a case was recorded in Northern Ireland.
The message said: “A group of Chinese tourists from Wuhan have arrived in Larne by bus from Scotland.
“They are staying overnight in Larne, touring today and heading to Dublin this evening.
“Department of Health are deploying someone from the Public Health Agency to provide advice to the group and to check their health.
“Chief Medical Officer is not concerned.”
ASYMPTOMATIC
The message went on to say that the Health Minister Robin Swann would be calling then-first Minister and deputy First Minister Arlene Foster and Michelle O’neill to brief them on the visit.
Mr Pengelly said that the tourists had all reported to be asymptomatic.
Ms Dobbin said: “Any idea that this pandemic was something happening on the other side of the world and presented no threat to Northern Ireland was very clearly dispelled at this point in time.”
Mr Pengelly said: “Yes.”
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett said: “When people in your position and many others around you and in the rest of the UK were told that the two scenarios were China contains or global pandemic, didn’t anybody stop and say we know visitors from Wuhan, the centre of where the disease started, have been visiting Northern Ireland?
“Doesn’t that indicate that back in January people should have been questioning whether China could ever contain it because people were travelling the world?”
Mr Pengelly said: “My understanding was that was why the assessment was that the second of the two scenarios was seen as the most likely situation, that it wouldn’t be contained within China.”
People should have been questioning if China could ever contain it BARONESS HALLETT